– There are complaints against the police in Mocímboa da Praia, Quelimane and Nampula.

All updates Maputo time

16:16 In Monapo, Renamo leads.

15:55 In Angoche, Renamo obtained 46.35% of the votes so far and takes a slight advantage over Frelimo, which is 45.67%. MDM adds 4.84%. 47 of the 66 tables ahave been counted

15:34 The STAE preliminary results give Renamo the lead in Ilha de Moçambique: 50.28%. Frelimo is in second place with 37.43% and MDM comes next with 10.37%. 24 of the 49 existing tables arecounted.

15:30 In Ribáuè, where Frelimo leads, the counting continues. The party in power has 46.87%, Renamo 42.42% and MDM 8.18%

15:28 For the cities of Nampula and Nacala-Porto STAE has no update at all.

15:21 Hundreds of members and sympathisers of Renamo are beginning to gather on their provincial delegation to celebrate their party’s victory in Nampula. They celebrate singing Renamo’s propaganda songs.

15:20 In the city of Tete, Renamo has just held a press conference, in which it declares victory at the level of the Tete municipal council. Even without presenting the figures that support this, Renamo’s spokesman in the city of Tete, Hernani da Silva, says that his party is the fair winner of the elections. At this moment, members and supporters of the party accompanied by Ricardo Tomás, the head of list, party in the streets. However, CNE spokesman Paulo Cuinica said preliminary data from Tete and the neighbouring town of Moatize were still being processed.

15:17 In the City of Matola the dispute is close. Frelimo counts for 48.42% and Renamo 46.38%. So far, 458 voting tables have been counted, corresponding to 64% of the tables.

14:15 STAE in Cabo Delgado presented its version of the incidents of the village of Mocímboa da Praia. According to the organisation, the skirmishes with the Police have been caused by the anticipated celebration of a probable victory of Renamo.

15:07 In the City of Maputo Frelimo leads, keeping 56.02%, while Renamo has 37.31% and MDM 5.22%

13:53 Police in Zambézia have confirmed the arrest of two members of the MDMl. They were detained on Wednesday at one of the schools in the Quelimane Aeroporto neighbourhood because they were campaigning at the door of polling stations or voting tables, police said. Listano Evaristo, MDM’s political delegate in Quelimane, confirmed the arrest, but added that they have already been released on parole, and that one of them will be tried next Friday by the Zambézia provincial court court.

The spokesman for the provincial police commander of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Zambézia, Miguel Caetano, made a positive assessment of the voting day. “Despite the incidents in yesterday’s elections, the Zambezians behaved very well. There were no major events and only minor incidents occurred, he said.

13:50 Currently, there are already 1.1 million votes counted in 35 of the 53 municipalities in Mozambique. Results so far: 52% for Frelimo and 48% for opposition parties.

13:28 The newspaper @Verdade, a partner of DW, reveals how much money the new mayors will have available to put into practice the promises made during the election campaign.

13:09 Renamo’s victory in Chiúre is confirmed, the CIP said, citing data from the District Election Commission. It is the first time that the opposition has won in a municipality in the province of Cabo Delgado.

12:54 Votes are still being counted in the municipality of Maxixe. DW correspondent Luciano da Conceição is monitoring the process, along with political parties and electoral administration bodies. Intermediate result:

12:02 Frelimo leads the counting in Gurué with 46% of votes, the MDM is second with 40%, followed by RENAMO with 4%. Interim results released by the CIP, according to the parallel count.

11:50 According to the most recent Sala da Paz synopsis, in 294 (88%) of the 333 tables verified by the electoral conflicts monitoring and management mechanism, there were no cases of impediment of voters. At 33 tables, (10% ) one to five people were prevented from voting; at five tables six to ten voters were prevented from voting; and at one table more than ten voters were prevented from voting.

11:39 According to the most recent provisional CIP figures in Maputo, Frelimo (Eneas Comiche) is currently at the top of the list with 55% of the votes, followed by Renamo (Hermínio Morais) with 38%. In Matola, Frelimo adds up to 49% of the votes and Renamo 46%. The CNE has scheduled a press conference for 12:00 to update figures.

11:30 In Nampula, a total of at least 40 people were detained during the voting across almost all of the seven municipalities of the province. Police say citizens disturbed the public order by trying to break into polling stations and campaigning on polling day. According to Nampula PRM spokesman Zacarias Nacute, 10 people were arrested in the provincial capital, 21 in Ribáué and 9 in the city of Nacala-Porto.

11:20 In an interview with DW Africa, Daviz Simango says that his party, the MDM, presented “the best electoral manifesto”, thereby securing the favour of voters in Beira.

11:09 Local elections in Mozambique will give an “important signal” about the progress of the peace process, Standard Bank analysts say. They also say that the result could have an impact on the economy of the country, “because, although rising, inflation has been clearly limited by the low increase in food prices,” they point out.”It will be instructive to see whether the party in power, Frelimo, and the Renamo opposition accept the result of the elections,” analysts conclude.

10:46 DW Africa this morning confirmed disturbances in the village of Mocímboa da Praia, Cabo Delgado, when some Renamo supporters tried to remain at polling stations, allegedly to assure the integrity of their votes, and police mobilised to disperse them. Renamo claim that police acted violently, but the authorities deny any confrontation or use of force.

“There were no skirmishes. What happened was that members and sympathisers of one of the competing parties mutinied at one of the polling stations waiting to be counted, and police were called in to take action,” Provincial Command spokesman Augusto Guta said.

10:32 Preliminary results in Quelimane now give the victory to Renamo candidate Manuel de Araújo with about 44,652 votes, against 27,416 for Frelimo and 2,766 for the MDM.

10:19 The city of Quelimane is calm after the hustle and bustle recorded last night following the announcement of results at polling stations. There is little activity on the streets and some commercial establishments remain closed.

Residents told DW correspondent Marcelino Mueia that they were staying home to recover from a sleepless night caused by supporters’ drumming and chanting. In the Micajune, Floresta, Namuinho, Gogone and Aquima and Brandão neighbourhoods, small groups of residents were standing around with their ears glued to transistor radios, waiting for the official announcement of the results.

10:05 According to DW correspondent Sitoi Lutxeque, the city of Nampula is currently in turmoil as police try to prevent young Renamo sympathisers gathering in force to applaud their party’s lead in the polls.

09:58 In terms of preliminary results, Renamo is also ahead in the Moatize municipal council. Figures collated by DW correspondent Amos Zacarias from results at 49 polling stations show the largest opposition party with 11,171 votes against Frelimo’s 9,789, with the MDM in third place with 799 votes.

09:49 In the village of Moatize, material from eight polling stations was vandalised by unidentified individuals after the counting and the announcement of results and then abandoned in a truck at the São João Baptista Mission primary school. The local STAE director declined to comment on the case to DW, but the PRM [police] district commander in Moatize, Nunes Couve, told the newspaper Malacha that “the personnel who vandalised the kits had STAE badges”.

09:37 In Nampula, Renamo is preparing to react to the vote and, although the results are not yet completed, it intends to “declare itself victor “. Police have called a press conference to take stock of their actions during voting so far. The Peace Room will also announce preliminary voting results.

09:28 Analyst Adelino Buque is talking about a “pleasant surprise” regarding “the growth of democracy in the province of Gaza, where Renamo has had eight hundred and some votes in certain places”. “It was unthinkable five years ago,” he says.

09:11 In Manhaua Primary School, Beira, a ballot box has disappeared and the members of the polling station demand that its president return it. The incident is delaying the completion of the vote counting process at this post.

09:00 In the municipalities where preliminary results are established so far, the Liberation Front of Mozambique (Frelimo) remains in power, but without an absolute majority in the case of Ribaué, in Nampula province, Lusa agency says.

08:50 The coalition “Votar Moçambique” has dismissed allegations of organised and widespread fraud. It has publicised several cases of voters unable to vote in some municipalities and various other electoral offences, but attributed these situations to “technical reasons and ignorance of the law”.

08:41 Frelimo is leading the vote count in Inhambane. In the province’s five municipalities, the ruling party has topped 50%, followed by Renamo with 40%. The remaining 10% are being disputed by MDM and PAHUMO. According to DW correspondent Luciano da Conceição, the process is running smoothly and should be completed before noon.

08:29 The results from Cabo Delgado are not favourable to the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM). António Macanige, the head of the MDM list in Pemba, has already said that he accepts the results and that he is available to help the winner with the projects presented during the election campaign.

08:17 So far, none of the provincial capitals has final results. Election officials continue to process the results of Wednesday’s local vote. Media and observation platforms are disseminating polling station counts as the notices are posted and released.

08:08 Vote counting in Quelimane, the provincial capital of Zambézia began on Wednesday afternoon in a climate of great tension. At Sangariveira polling station, police used guns and tear gas to disperse crowds of voters who wanted to hear the results first-hand. with DW correspondent Marcelino Mueia reporting that people were wounded.

07:53 According to Renamo interim political delegate, Alberto Bacar, the country’s defence and security forces behaved badly in Mocímboa da Praia, Cabo Delgado. Without revealing details, he said that the police interfered with the voting there, contrary to promises made by Police General Command spokesman Inacio Dina, who said in an interview with Radio Moçambique that the corporation would confine itself to ensuring the safety and tranquillity of the voting process in the village. Highlighting Renamo’s imminent advantage in Chiure, Bacar called for restraint, asking party supporters to wait for the “opportune moment to celebrate the victory”.

07:42 In Nampula, polling stations officials prevented journalists from witnessing the vote count taking place. DW correspondent Sitoi Lutxeque and STV reporters were prevented from recording the count at Cerâmica Primary School at around 7:00 pm on Wednesday.

The situation repeated itself with journalists from Rádio Encontro and the newspapers Visão, IKWELI and Diário de Moçambique. “The count ca not be witnessed by people from outside the polling stations and you will only have the results after we have posted the edicts,” an official told the DW correspondent.

07:30 The CNE and STAE are conducting the tabulation and dissemination of the results of the 2018 municipalities in real time on the website of the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration.

07:20 In Inhambane, the count at polling stations went smoothly, if with some delay, according to correspondent Luciano da Conceição. Police maintained a presence at the polling places to ensure security.

07:12 Throughout the night and during this morning, polling stations have already been posting results after the conclusion of counting.

07:06 With votes still only partially counted in the city of Nampula in the north, Renamo has maintained its lead. In a survey of 49 voting tables, DW Sitoi Lutxeque’s correspondent determined that a total of 46,767 voters were registered, of which 25,395 voted. The votes fell as follows: Frelimo: 6,882, MDM: 1,794, Renamo: 15,010, AMUSI: 228, PAHUMO: 29, MAMO: 23, AMAJPS: 28 and PLDS: 209.

07:02 After the ballot boxes were closed, the provincial director of STAE in Cabo Delgado, Cassamo Camal, expressed satisfaction with the increase in the number of voters throughout the province.

06:57 According to DW correspondent Leonel Matias, contrary to previous elections, figures point to an increase in the electorate’s sympathy for Renamo in the south of the country, namely Gaza, usually considered a Frelimo stronghold. The opposition currently holds four municipalities: Beira, Nampula, Quelimane and Gurue.

06:50 “In a very preliminary way, at least until 9.30 pm, we have seen Frelimo far ahead in the south of the country,” Alberto Ferreira, a member of the Sala da Paz in the city of Beira, said. “As for the centre of the country, the fight in Beira city is very close. It could be said that the MDM is moving forward and is ahead of the other parties,” he added. The Sala da Paz platform gives Renamo the advantage in Nampula.

06:40 Preliminary results obtained by the Sala de Paz platform and broadcast by the private television channel STV indicate good voter turnout, expected to exceed the below-50% recorded in previous elections.

06:32 In Beira, the Mozambican Democratic Movement (MDM) is already claiming victory, although on preliminary results are available. According to DW correspondent Arsénio Sebastião, Daviz Simango’s MDM was leading with about 80% of the votes counted.

In an interview with DW Africa this morning, Simango said that his party has presented the best manifesto and deserved the Beira voters’ confidence.

06:24 As in many other places around the country, Beira began counting the votes without electricity.